Project kickstarts SA’s use of TV white spaces
28 August 2019
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant to support a project to help improve Internet access to rural areas of South Africa.
The grant, which focuses on facilitating export opportunities for US companies in support of sustainable development projects globally, will fund several TV White Space (TVWS) deployments with the goal of establishing business and deployment models that can be replicated across the country.
As the first country in Africa to publish a TVWS regulatory framework, South Africa has long seen the potential for the technology to bridge the nation’s digital divide. Encompassing an unreached population of more than 20 million people in rural areas and difficult-to-reach terrain, South Africa is an ideal location for TVWS, which uses unused broadcast spectrum to deliver long-range wireless connectivity. The project is intended to demonstrate that TVWS is a feasible business solution for economically and affordably connecting rural South Africa.
“Since deploying the first TVWS system in Africa, Adaptrum has sought ways to use TVWS to bring much needed connectivity across Africa,” said Haiyun Tang, CEO of Adaptrum, which is leading the project. “Now that TVWS is allowed in South Africa, we are extremely pleased to have the support of USTDA for this project to ensure our technology can be deployed affordably and sustainably by our local South African partners.”
The Adaptrum-led project team is a consortium of US and South African partners including Microsoft, International Data Corporation and Project Isizwe. The consortium will collaborate with the grant recipient, the Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA), to deploy three TVWS network builds and develop a business plan to help ISPs and their investors understand and take advantage of commercial opportunities with TVWS.
“The support from USTDA validates what we’ve seen in South Africa and many other locations – TVWS is a valuable and important technology for enabling affordable and reliable connectivity,” said Kevin Connolly, director of Airband International at Microsoft. “Microsoft works with hardware partners like Adaptrum and investment partners like USTDA to accelerate bringing connectivity to millions of people around the globe who lack Internet access, and we’re excited to bring this work to fruition in South Africa today.”
Once a successful business model is established, additional TVWS projects across South Africa and in other areas of southern and eastern Africa can be developed – bringing much needed connectivity investment to the continent by tackling issues such as the cost of infrastructure needed to reach the rural poor.
Further reading:
Quectel partners with GEODNET
Quectel Wireless Solutions
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Quectel Wireless Solutions has partnered with GEODNET to deliver Quectel’s Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) correction services, enabling high-precision positioning for IoT applications.
Read more...
Bringing Bluetooth Channel Sounding to automotive and beyond with KW47
Altron Arrow
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
NXP’s new Channel Sounding-certified KW47 and MCX W72 wireless MCUs are set to help automakers with distance measurement, bringing an additional ranging solution for car access and autonomous systems, and will be utilised across a broader spectrum of applications.
Read more...
Dual-band GNSS antenna
RF Design
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Taoglas Accura GVLB258.A, is a passive, dual-band GNSS L1/L5, high-performance antenna for high precision GNSS accuracy and fast positioning.
Read more...
What is Wi-Fi HaLow and why choose it for IoT?
iCorp Technologies
Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Wi-Fi HaLow introduces a low power connectivity option that, in contrast to other Wi-Fi options, offers greater range of approximately 1 km, which opens up a raft of IoT use cases.
Read more...
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE coprocessor module
Altron Arrow
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The ST67W611M1 from STMicroelectronics boasts an all-in-one design which, together with its capabilities, contribute to making it an attractive choice for IoT edge devices requiring a single-chip solution.
Read more...
Futureproofing IoT connectivity
SIMcontrol
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
A managed private APN assigns every device to an isolated carrier slice, producing a single ingress to the enterprise network, with traffic bypassing shared internet paths and reducing exposure.
Read more...
Extra slim 2,4 GHz radio module
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Thyone I radio module from Würth Elektronik now has a little sibling: Thyone-e, which takes up 30% less space and represents a cost-effective alternative for applications in which the long-range mode is not required.
Read more...
Wi-Fi 6 plus Bluetooth LE SoC
Altron Arrow
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Silicon Labs’ SiWx917M SoC is the company’s lowest power Wi-Fi 6 SoC, ideal for ultra-low power IoT wireless devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter, and IP networking for secure cloud connectivity.
Read more...
Two Bluetooth protocols – one module
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Würth Elektronik has introduced its Skoll-I, a compact wireless module that combines both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy version 5.4 into a single solution.
Read more...
Compact high-performance antennas
Electrocomp
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
KYOCERA AVX offers a variety of extremely compact and high-performance internal, on-board, multiprotocol 2,4 GHz antennas ideal for use in SiP applications.
Read more...